Snapshots
by kryptoniansky
Summary: Before NCIS - Marty, Gavin, and Eric were just three brothers facing life's hardships alongside their sister. They were kids with dreams of a better life. Their bonds were unbreakable, even when everything around them crumbled. AU
1. Los Angeles

**Author's Notes:** This is unlike any NCIS: LA fic I've written before. My main story (the sequel) will take place when the three main canon characters are adults, but this story focuses on their childhood as siblings. This isn't an ordinary childhood, either. I am keeping as much canon things as possible - G still goes to foster care, Marty still shoots Gordon Brandel, and so on. The time flow of this story will often change per chapter, whereas other time periods might be focused on for several chapters. I am posting this story sooner than I intended as I want to use it to try even shorted chapters than I'm used to, which will enable me to update much faster and not take time away from my other stories.

Warning: The rating for this story may change to M later on. Note that this story contains violence, minor infrequent course language, minor suggestive adult themes, child neglect and abuse, and otherwise. This is not a story for children, despite this being a childhood story of four siblings growing up.

* * *

**~ Prologue ~**

**1970**

The maternity ward at the biggest hospital in Miami was filled with mingled cries of mothers and newborns, but not in the tiny room near the end. Lisa Linmore tried to tune out the loud sounds, and hoped they wouldn't wake her newborn son.

She'd given birth earlier that morning, and by nightfall she was still admiring his tiny form. His little blue hat had a "G" printed on the front, and she had no idea that one day her boy would spend years wondering what the singular letter stood for.

Lisa sighed and leaned back against the propped up pillows behind her on the bed. She hated hospitals, though it was necessary to be there and ensure her baby was healthy. She only wished her husband, Chad, could be there as well. He'd called once or twice, but Lisa had been resting and only knew he had a big car deal to close before he could leave work. When she'd met him at a rock concert three yeas ago, Lisa fell completely in love with his strength and charm. Now, after a year of marriage, Lisa just wanted Chad to join her in welcoming his son into the world.

The infant in her arms made a sound, and Lisa couldn't find the effort to be annoyed at her husband when she looked at the red face of their little boy.

'Hey, Gavin.' Lisa whispered, kissing his forehead. 'Let me see your eyes, little man.'

Gavin blinked his blue eyes and stared up at his loving, though tired, mother. She felt so joyful she might cry, as Lisa admired the tiny fuzz of blonde hair he'd inherited from Chad. Her own hair was light brown, though both her and her husband had bright blue eyes.

'You're perfect.' Lisa told her baby. 'You'll be with me, always, won't you? You're my son, so you have to stay with me forever, okay?'

Gavin watched her silently, then closed his eyes and fell back to sleep. She cradled her child in her arms, then handed him to a nurse who came to check on him since he was born a bit early. Lisa exhaled and glanced to the clock resting on the wall across from her bed. She hoped Chad would visit soon, but the sinking feeling in her chest meant she already knew her husband wouldn't be there on that special day.

Gavin had come into the world after almost nine months of waiting - yet only his mother was there to greet him.

~ S ~

**1973**

Three years later, Gavin's little sister experienced the same moment he had - with Chad once again working long hours even on such a crucial day. Except, little Vanessa wouldn't just have her mother to welcome her into the world. Gavin, by the age of three, was already determined to be the best big brother in the whole world. He stood at his mother's bedside that late afternoon, standing on his tip-toes in eagerness to catch his first glimpse of his baby sister.

Gavin hadn't been happy when his parents told him he was having a baby sister, as he'd wanted a brother instead, but when a nurse lifted up onto the bed to meet the baby – Gavin didn't mind. She was so small, and Gavin was scared of breaking her - he was extra careful when placing a quick kiss to her very light brown hair.

Her blue eyes watched his, and the siblings were lost to the moment.

'This is your little sister, Gavin.' Lisa smiled at her two children. 'Her name is Vanessa. Say hello.'

'Hi, Vessa.' Gavin said, touching her belly with his small hand. He cuddled up close to his mother, laying his head on her shoulder to watch his tiny sister sleeping in Lisa's arms.

Lisa wished she'd had a photo taken of the moment, so she could always look back on how happy and whole they were that afternoon in the hospital – even with Chad's absence. It was a moment to be cherished, but it was only a snapshot in time. And, like most things in life, time changed. The heart-warming picture of a happy family without any worries in the world could only exist in a photograph.

Gavin and Vanessa were about to learn some very harsh lessons about life, change, and family. That day in the hospital would be special for a whole other reason - it was the last time their family was picture-perfect.

* * *

**~ Los Angeles ~**

**1974**

'Maaaaaaaa!' Gavin yelled, as the four-year-old ran wildly down the main hallway of the house.

'Oh, for Beatles sake!' Lisa gasped when her son barrelled against her side. 'What is it, Gavin?'

'Vessa stuck in box!' Gavin said, shaking his head. 'Vessa not s'posed to be in box!'

Lisa frowned, and headed for the stairs with Gavin clutching her side. Unable to move fast enough with the boy hanging onto her skirt, Lisa picked him up and headed to the nursery. She'd been packing boxes for days, and had left the two children upstairs in the nursery to play while the moving men took out the rest of the downstairs furniture.

It had lasted a whole hour, before her son had came tearing down the stairs yelling.

'Oh, Vanessa.' Lisa sighed, seeing her one-year-old had crawled into an overturned box. She lifted the girl out, and placed her back on the mat. 'See? She's fine.' Lisa told her son, who she'd put back on the floor, then turned to leave the room.

'Vessa, okay?' Gavin hurried to his little sister and checked her over.

She giggled, and slapped his head with her hand. Gavin glared at her, then moved away to play with his wooden train. Vanessa crawled over and tried to take it – she wanted to play too, but didn't know how.

'No, Vessa.' Gavin whined. 'It's mine!'

Vanessa scrunched her face, which started turning red, and Gavin sighed with defeat. He didn't want her to cry, so he handed Vanessa the toy - making her giggle again, and shifted so his back was to her. While contemplating what toy to play with next, Gavin heard the downstairs door open and a grunt of someone bumping into furniture.

'Daddy!' Gavin jumped up, hurrying down the stairs to greet his father.

He halted at the bottom step, and waited while Chad put down his suitcase. He knew better than to ever interrupt his father when he had the suitcase.

'Hey, kiddo!' Chad grinned widely at his little boy.

'Daddy!' Gavin squealed, running to be scooped up into the air. 'Vessa was in a box.' He said, shaking his head with disapproval.

'Uh huh.' Chad nodded, distracted, as he looked around the house to check how fast it was emptying in their preparation to move. He looked at Lisa, who offered him a smile of greeting, and sighed.

'Daddy, Mama said the new house is really really big!' Gavin babbled. 'Bigger than a truck!'

'Yeah.' Chad said, not paying attention. He frowned with dread, and put Gavin down. 'Do play with your sister.'

'But, Daddy-'

'Now, Gavin!' Chad said sternly, catching Lisa's immidiate attention.

Gavin sulked, and made his way back up the stairs, but stopped halfway when he heard the conversation taking place between his parents.

'Pack this crap up.' Chad told his wife. 'We're not moving upstate.'

'What?' Lisa startled. 'Chad, you promised! With your promotion last week-'

'Damnit, Lisa, we're not going upstate anymore!' Chad growled.

'Why?' She demanded to know. 'You promised us a better life, Chad.'

'I know, and it won't happen here.' Chad said. 'We're going to Los Angeles. My brother set us up with a decent place there. We'll be right near the ocean, just like here.'

'What the Hell, Chad?' Lisa said angrily. 'How can you make those arrangements without asking me? What about our plans? You remember our plans, don't you?'

'Plans change!' Chad snapped. 'We're going to LA, so pack this crap up faster and direct it there.'

Gavin shuddered when the voices raised even higher. He'd heard them yell before, but not that loudly or for a long time. He considered running upstairs to hide, and make sure his sister was okay, but Gavin was too shocked to move.

'Damn it all, Lisa!' Gavin shouted. 'I lost my job, okay? We have to get out, so we're going to LA today. End of discussion!'

Gavin turned and scurried up the stairs, tripping at the top. He returned to where Vanessa was trying to put the toy train in her mouth, and dropped onto the mat in front of her.

'Daddy's yelling.' Gavin told Vanessa, reaching to hold her hand. 'But it's okay, Vessa. I won't yell at you like Daddy yells at Mama.'

~ S ~

That afternoon was the first time Gavin and Vanessa had ever left Florida, or been on a plane. The three-hour journey passed by for the two siblings, however, as they slept right through it. They were lucky to remain blissfully unaware of the building tension between their parents, brought on by Chad being fired from his formerly-successfully job as a car salesman – and their abrupt move across the country rather than a few miles upstate.

Gavin and Vanessa's first view of Los Angeles wouldn't be as they'd remember it while growing up – there was an unexpected downpour of rain the moment they'd left the airport., which blocked out the sun and dulled every street they drove by. Lisa glared out through the front passenger side of the car window, as if the rain was an omen of what was to come.

'How are you going to support us?' Lisa finally broke her silence on the drive to their new house.

'Can we not talk about this now?' Chad complained, steering them into the midst of traffic.

'Daddy, where are we?' Gavin wondered from the back-seat, playing with his wooden toy zebra.

'Los Angeles, son.' Chad answered, ignoring his wife. 'This is going to be our new home now.'

'Why?' Gavin asked.

'Daddy needs a new job.' Chad sighed. 'And this place is pretty cool, isn't it?'

Gavin looked at the window to his left and frowned. He didn't think it looked cool at all – it was all gloomy and wet, from what he could see. He thought Vanessa agreed, as she started crying in distress.

'Vanessa, honey, please be quiet.' Lisa sighed from the front seat. 'Daddy's driving.'

The toddler continued to cry; Gavin leaned over to her seat and tried to entertain her with his toy.

'It's okay, Vessa.' Gavin told her. 'You're okay. You're okay.'

'Would you shut her up?' Brad complained to Lisa.' I'm trying to drive. I hate traffic – one day we should move somewhere that doesn't have any cars.'

'Vanessa, be quiet!' Lisa hissed irritably to the one-year-old, turning in her seat to fix the small child with a stern look.

The little girl hiccuped, then whimpered. Gavin held her hand and kissed it, trying to let her know everything was alright. She sniffled, and looked at him, then stopped crying. Her face was still sad, but Gavin was able to distract Vanessa long enough for them to reach their new house without further conflict.

'We're here!' Chad soon announced, stepping out of the car and hurriedly opened the large umbrella.

He want around to protect his wife from the rain, and placed a hand on her back to steer her to face the house. He had a smile on his face, whereas Lisa could only stare at the fence-less yard, paint-peeled house, and overall small size. She glanced further down the hill towards her right where she saw the ocean horizon in the not-so-far distance.

'What do you think?' Chad asked, anxious. 'I know it's not the big house we wanted in Florida, but it's home now. The kids have a yard, and the beach is right there! It'll be great, just you wait and see.'

While Lisa continued to stare at the house with dread, in the car Gavin was crawling carefully over his sister to get a better look through her window. She made a sound of complaint, but otherwise merely shifted her interest to his discarded toy.

'I dunno.' Gavin frowned at the house, though the rain against the window lessened his perception of it. 'It doesn't look like home, Vessa.' The four-year-old sighed, and settled back in his own seat.

He watched his parents approach the house, and begun to panic. Gavin hit the glass of his window over and over, worried about being left behind in the unfamiliar car surrounded by rain. It took a moment for them to hear his frantic noise over the lessening rain, then Chad came hurrying back and pulled the door open.

'I'm sorry, kiddo.' Chad said, lifting Gavin out to place him on the puddled-splattered road. 'Go to Mummy.' He said, walking around the car to retrieve Vanessa.

She started crying again, and Gavin didn't move from where he'd been placed. The rain pressed his blonde hair to his head, as Gavin stood to stare in the direction of the house. It was a blur, and he didn't want to go over to it. He liked his other house much better - this one was scary and small.

Gavin watched his mother go inside without ever looking in his direction, and his father carried Vanessa inside soon after. The door shut, and Gavin was left standing alone by the car. He sniffled and rubbed eyes with his hands. Walking to the front door, Gavin sat on the hard ground underneath the cover of the alcove, and wrapped his arms around his knees.

No, he didn't like this new place at all.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Marty and Eric aren't born yet, so they'll be introduced in due time. To clarify: Gavin is otherwise known as G Callen as an adult. Vanessa is an OC. I hope you enjoyed this so far - things will make more sense as their life unfolds in coming chapters. Thank you for reading, and I would really appreciate it if you could please send feedback so I know what you thought of the story so far.


	2. Dragons & a Princess

**Author's Notes: **Thank you to every person who reviewed, read, followed, and favourited this story so far! I'm aiming to get a chapter up each day or two if I can, since they're much shorter than I usually write and yet are the perfect length for this sort of story. Will try my best. Enjoy!

* * *

**~ Dragons and a Princess ~**

**1975**

Two-year-old Vanessa hurried across the hallway as fast as her little legs would allow.

She reached the ajar bedroom door and pushed it opened with both hands. Inside was a room filled with boxes, and a single mattress lying beside the far left wall. On the mattress was a stained sheet covering a lump positioned in the center.

'G!' Vanessa wailed, hurrying to the mattress.

She had her two small hands pressed to her ears, trying to drown out the shouts and anger coming from the other side of the single-storey house.

'I know, Vessa.' Five-year-old Gavin removed the sheet from his head.

He pulled his sister onto his lap and cuddled her, trying to make her feel safe. She was much much littler than he was, and Gavin was her big brother - he knew it was his job to keep her fed, clean, and safe.

'The dragons are angry, but you're okay.' Gavin told her. 'You're a princess, Vessa. I'm your big brother, and that's like being a superhero.'

Vanessa turned around and gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek, then hugged him close.

'Luv G.'

'I love you too.' Gavin said, looking worriedly towards the open bedroom door. 'My tummy hurts. C'mon.'

He tried to pull her to her feet, once they slid off the mattress, but Vanessa resisted and was too fearful of leaving the safety of the room.

'It's okay.' Gavin told her. 'Big brothers protect princesses from mean dragons.'

Vanessa watched him for a moment, then pointed to his chest.

Gavin stared back, and realised she was asking who protected big brothers from those dragons. He shrugged, and led her by the hand out the door and into the main room. He liked to imagine superhero big brothers had the power to protect themselves, though the light bruising on his forearm suggested otherwise.

Lisa and Chad were still arguing about money and freedom, while Gavin carefully led his little sister to the kitchen. He couldn't reach much, but with their combined efforts they were able to pry open the fridge. Their parents took no notice, as Gavin hoisted Vanessa up around the middle to reach a jar of jam – even though he could only lift her a foot off the ground.

'Jam!' Vanessa waved it in her hands, letting Gavin know she'd grabbed it.

He let her down, then sat on the floor to eat it with her. He could only barely reach the drawers, but managed to find two spoons for them to use. Undoing the lid took them a while, but Gavin was determined to feed his sister and Vanessa was very patient.

'I don't care if your job is boring!' Lisa continued to yell. 'We need the money. You're not a rockstar anymore, Chad!'

'I hate paperwork!' Chad growled back. 'It's killing me, Lisa. I sit there all day at that stupid desk when I should be out talking to people, and getting things done. Besides, even with this crappy job we're barely making enough as it is!' He gestured to the cluttered room around them, filled with unwashed laundry and stacks of unopened boxes they had no place to store.

Gavin tried to put the lid back on the jam, realising it wasn't helping his tummy feel better, and returned it to the fridge. He shut the door, but couldn't reach the sink so he left the spoons on the floor. Taking his sister by the hand, Gavin stepped into the living room, being careful not to let Vanessa trip on a few stacks of books left there.

'Mama, Daddy?' Gavin asked, trying not to cry from anxiety. He hated interrupting them, but he felt they had to get away from the noise for a while. 'We wanna go to the beach.'

'I'm busy.' Lisa grumbled, while Chad turned away from her to slap his hand against a nearby wall in frustration.

'But, Mama-'

'Go. Go, get out!' Lisa waved her hand dismissively in the direction of the door. 'Chad, don't you dare walk away from me!' She scolded, following her husband into another room.

Gavin watched them walk away, then looked down at Vanessa's wide blue eyes.

'Mama said we could.' Gavin nodded, making her smile.

He walked to the front door, pushing the screen open, and not once let go of his sister's hand. Gavin knew to be careful of cars – they made his daddy very angry so they must be bad. Keeping away from the road, Gavin led the way down the pavement in direction of the beach he could see from the top of the hill.

Vanessa was much smaller than him, and far less used to walking, so Gavin made sure to walk at her pace so she didn't fall over or get too tired. It took them a while to get to the beach, and Gavin kept a careful eye on the road when they crossed it in case any cars saw them and made his daddy angry.

'Look at all the sand, Vessa.' Gavin smiled, pointing to the long stretch of sunshine-kissed sand.

It was hot to their bare feet, but not unbearably so, as it was still rather early in the morning. The two siblings crossed it to be closer to the ocean, and sat down to build a castle with only their hands as tools.

They'd only just made the mound higher than Vanessa when Gavin realised they weren't alone. He straightened, his hands covered in sand, and looked around the beach. He saw a woman in a weird grey suit standing by the shady sidelines, just over the line of sand to where the grass grew. She stood there, watching, until she knew she'd certainly been noticed.

Gavin was wary as the woman approached them, though Vanessa wasn't concerned - she kept playing with the sand and adding to the mound.

'Hello.' The tall lady said, bending to be closer to his eye-level. 'That's a very big castle.'

Gavin looked over his shoulder at their lump of sand, and decided this person wasn't too bad if she could tell what they were trying to make before they'd finished it. His Mama and Daddy could never tell what they made in the sand until they told them.

'It's for Vessa. She's a princess.' Gavin said proudly. 'Who're you?'

'I'm Cindy.' The woman told him with a friendly smile, which contradicted her darkly-dressed appearance and even darker hair.

'Like Cinderella?' Gavin raised his eyebrows with surprise. 'Do you have a mean stepmother and stepsister?'

'I do.' Cindy chuckled. 'But they're actually really nice.'

'Oh.' Gavin considered what to say. 'You wanna help us? We're gonna make it real big! Gotta keep the dragons out.'

'I'd love to, but you know what? I can't right now.' Cindy said, straightening.

'Why not?' Gavin wondered.

'I've come to find you.' She said. 'Do you remember me?'

'I bit.' Gavin stared at her, realising she did look familiar - though she'd been wearing nicer clothes then and not weird ones. 'You came to talk to Mama, and she yelled a lot.'

'Did she do that?' Cindy indicated to the bruise exposed on his forearm.

'I don't wanna talk about it.' Gavin frowned, averting his blue eyes.

'Okay.' Cindy allowed. 'I see you're a big brother - that's a big job.'

'Big brothers are like superheros. Gotta protect princesses from dragons.' He told her importantly.

'And who protects big brothers?' Cindy wondered.

Gavin, just like before, merely shrugged.

'Well, do you know what my job is?' She kept up conversation.

'No.' Gavin shook his head.

'I'm a social worker. It's a bit like a big brother, except I don't just protect princesses – I protect every kid in all of Los Angeles.' Cindy said in an awe-inspiring voice.

'Wow!' Gavin gasped. 'Even big brothers?'

'Even big brothers.' Cindy nodded. 'Now, a little fairy told me that you and Vanessa aren't well taken care of at home. You're hungry? The house is dirty? Your mummy and daddy yell a lot?'

'Not all the time.' Gavin mumbled, looking away. 'They read stories sometimes. And...And we get pizza when Daddy doesn't work.'

'I saw the house, remember? You don't even have a bed.' Cindy said. 'I'm here with my friends to take you and Vanessa somewhere better. No dragons.'

Gavin looked at her and thought she sounded nice, but something wasn't right. She was talking about taking him away from his Mama and Daddy - Gavin didn't think that was very nice even if they yelled a lot and forgot to give them food when their tummies hurt.

He was a big brother – it was his job to look after Vanessa, not some weird lady.

'I don't wanna go.' Gavin stood his ground.

'You have to.' Cindy said. 'Come on, we'll give you something to eat and you'll have a big bed to sleep on. There will be no more yelling, and no more mess. Just food, warmth, and safety.'

Gavin thought those were big things to promise, but he didn't have a chance to protest further when another man in weird clothes came over. He lifted him up, and Gavin briefly considered kicking the man in the face. Cindy picked Vanessa up, and Gavin waited for her to cry. If they made his little sister cry, then they were bad and he had to make them go away.

She didn't, however, and merely seemed confused.

'We have to get their things from the house.' Cindy talked to the man, her voice losing its kinder tone as she focused on the business side of the situation.

Gavin and Vanessa were put in the back seat of a car. Gavin was closest to the window, and stood to stare out at the house one year ago he never wanted to stay in. Now, he didn't want to leave. It was familiar and where his family was.

It was, as broken and unhappy as it could be, his home.

'G?' Vanessa reached for his hand, worried about what was going on.

'It's okay, Vessa.' Gavin told her, not taking his eyes from the sight of the lady carrying some bags outside to the car. 'We're okay.'

Then everything changed.

Lisa came running out the front door, her eyes streaked with tears, as she yelled and fought against Cindy. The man was backed-up by a police officer who tried to restrain a fuming Chad. They had to shove him onto his stomach on the grass, retraining him to prevent any further outburst.

Panicked, Gavin fiddled with the car door until he found the window winder. He wound it down enough for the gap overhead to flood sound into the car. He wished he hadn't, as Vanessa started crying, and horrible sounds reached his ears.

'NO!' Lisa screamed, distraught. 'You can't take them! My babies - you can't!'

'Mama!' Gavin called to her through the glass, pressing his palms to it. 'Daddy!'

'Gavin! Gavin!' Lisa gasped, breaking free of Cindy. She rushed to the car and pressed her hands to the window.

Her form looming over him, desperate and emotional, scared Gavin. He froze, not sure what to do, and could only cry.

'Baby, come back!' Lisa pleaded. 'You said you'd never leave me.'

'Ma'am, step away from the car.' Cindy said sternly, gesturing for an Officer to pull Lisa away. 'This is for the good of the children.'

'Gavin!' Lisa's howls of grief were all he could hear, as the car started to drive away. 'You said you'd never leave me!'

Vanessa was crying, but Gavin couldn't move.

'Gavin!' His mother's voice screamed until it faded away. 'GAVIN!'

Tears leaked down his face, as he stared unseeing through the window. Cindy and the man in the front seat didn't say a word, nor would the five-year-old have heard them if they had. Gavin didn't know what was happening, or why – all he knew was somehow he must have done something terribly wrong to make his mother cry like that.

Maybe he wasn't a very good superhero big brother after all?


	3. Best Chance

**Author's Notes: **Thanks again to everyone who is still with this story! I'm not too happy with this chapter, but it's up so here ya go! Enjoy.

**~ Best Chance ~**

**1975**

Henrietta Lange was a woman of many mysteries.

She could kill a group of men with a dozen playing cards, and still have enough left over to win a poker game with a royal flush. She was always on alert, yet gave the intimidating appearance of someone who was deviously prepared for anything that came her way. It's what made her such a reputable CIA agent. Her career wasn't very long, and her life experiences weren't as extensive as she'd like - though was still more than most, yet even in her late twenties Hetty was rarely stunned into silence for any amount of time.

Although, early Monday morning she received a message that would throw her life onto a different path – and no one would notice. She wasn't a cold woman, like many believed from her climbing reputation of always getting the job done with supreme natural skill and focus, but a part of her did compartmentalise away her emotions when it came to matters closer to home.

That was about to change.

Sitting in a darkened space in the corner of a hotel lobby, Hetty was content to sip her well-brewed tea until a man approached her with a folded piece of paper in hand. He didn't say anything, and simply handed her the message. Hetty narrowed her eyes at him, knowing he was a fellow agent, then lowered her teacup to brace herself for whatever could be written on the paper.

Unfolding it, Hetty's breath caught for a moment when she saw the undeniable handwriting of Lisa Linmore. She always knew the girl would come back to haunt her, after many years earlier when Hetty had given Lisa a chance at a new life after she'd unwittingly becoming a witness to a terrible crime.

The girl needed her help again, it seemed.

Hetty read the letter carefully, and was pleased at first to hear how Lisa had married a surfer who loved music and had such an interest in life. She heard about their two children; though Lisa neglected to mention names, she did say they were five and two years old. That's when the message took a darker turn. Lisa was clearly upset, if the dried smudges of ink were to be judged as evidence of crying. Her children had been taken from her by social services, and Lisa wanted Hetty to help her get them back.

Hetty exhaled and leaned back in her seat. The peaceful moment of her lunch break was over, replaced with a sense of wariness. Lisa hadn't explained why the two children had been taken or pleaded her case. Something about the way she ranted and stressed hit a nerve with Hetty – something wasn't right, and there were crucial details missing. Nevertheless, Hetty rose from her seat and knew she had to sort this out. She felt responsible for Lisa, and yet even more so for the children – if Hetty had been a little less forgiving and determined to help a young girl many years ago than those children would never have existed. Whatever happened to those kids, Hetty felt it would be on her.

She had to make sure either they were rightfully returned to their loving parents – or placed somewhere else if they needed a better chance at life than the one they'd been born into.

The problem was that Hetty was far too entwined in a very important mission – she simply couldn't oversee the incident herself. She couldn't dismiss the matter, however, so Hetty contacted one of her younger agents in secret.

Clara Callen had started working for the CIA several years ago – undercover, as a student. Hetty was her handler, but when Clara said she was pregnant and afraid of the murderers she'd helped put away, Hetty devised a clever plan. Clara became an agent, then soon "disappeared" during a mission. Secretly, with only Hetty and a handful of others knowing, Clara continued to work her job in the form of surveillance and research. Hetty knew she would be the perfect person to send to check on Lisa Linmore and the children to determine which outcome was best for them.

With her decision made, filled with confidence and well-structured plans, Hetty had no reason to doubt how things would turn out. She had no idea that one day she would regret not directly handling the situation herself from the very beginning when she received the message from Lisa Linmore. She never even knew the children's names, and she had underestimated Clara's abilities to disappear – skills which Hetty herself had taught her.

~ S ~

It wasn't until several days later that Clara Callen walked the corridors of the Orphanage in Los Angeles. The youngest Linmore child, Vanessa, had been placed in a foster home that morning – her five-year-old brother, Gavin, remained at the Orphanage after being taken from his parents several weeks ago.

Clara had talked to Cindy, the social worker in charge of the Linmore case, then stopped by to see Lisa. Chad had been at work, and Lisa was an emotional wreck. Clara spent two hours just consoling the woman, and yet didn't overlook the state of the house in which the children had resided in.

Hetty would have given Lisa a very stern lecture, and left with conflicted feelings about what to do – Clara was convinced of it. She'd watched Hetty's every move for years, trying to mimic her great mentor's skills, and in the end was only able to determine the sort of decisions Hetty made. Clara had no idea the reasoning, or emotion, behind the choices, yet she could work the angle of probability. She knew Hetty would have worked harder to help Lisa and Chad Linmore fix up their lives so they could try to bring their children home, but Clara could only see the mess of the situation it already was.

She knew Hetty had already given Lisa a chance to change, and Clara had one piece of experience that Hetty didn't – she was a mother.

Her eight-year-old daughter, Amy, was what drove Clara's every thought when children were involved. She believed kids should be with their parents, but only if they were safe and cared for. Her memories of being brought to America with her mother, after her father had been killed by the Comescu family in Romania, ran deep in that moment.

She couldn't allow another child to suffer for the mistakes of others.

That led her to the Orphanage.

'He's in the playroom.' Clara was told, and peered around the door to see the small five-year-old sitting by himself with some blocks.

Clara approached the blonde-haired boy dressed in a red shirt and faded jeans. She sat on the floor with him, and waited for Gavin to acknowledge her.

'Hello.' Clara smiled at the adorable child.

'Hi.' Gavin mumbled, looking over at the woman sitting across from him. 'Who're you?'

'I'm Clara.' She smiled, surprised by how much he reminded her of Amy with his facial features and blue eyes.

The boy said nothing else, and Clara felt sad to realise how miserable he looked. His little sister had been separated from him, for the first time in their life, just the day before. His shoulders were hunched and he played with the blocks as if going through the motions rather than enjoying himself.

As Clara watched Gavin for a moment longer, she thought about how strange it was to even be there.

Hetty hadn't contacted her in some time, and the request was odd at first. Although, her mentor did work in strange ways no matter what the subject or mission was. Hetty had even insisted, after Amy was born, not to know any personal details about her at all. Clara had questioned it, and Hetty explained the less she knew the better – since Clara was supposed to be_ "missing on assignment"._

In that moment Clara was only trying to make sense of what life had handed her, but it would all come together a week later when she did something she never imagined would be so easy. Clara let Hetty know the situation was taken care of; that she didn't need to worry about Lisa Linmore any longer. Clara was thorough, saying the children were better off away from Lisa and she had made sure they were in safe hands. She had checked on Vanessa, and the foster lady was very nice. Gavin, however, had no one.

Not until one month later, when Clara introduced Amy to her new little brother.

'Where're we going?' Gavin worried, allowing Clara to lead him by the hand to a car.

He liked the nice lady, who told him he had a new big sister who loved him lots, but Gavin was really confused. She'd told him she was his new Mama now, but he wasn't sure what that meant. She gave him lots of nice toys and clothes, so Gavin didn't mind being with her and Amy. He missed Vanessa, though. He wanted his little sister back, and didn't understand why she couldn't go with him. He assumed it was because he was a bad big brother and didn't get to have a little sister anymore.

'We're going on a holiday for a while.' Clara said with a smile. 'To a far away place called Romania.'

Gavin wasn't sure he liked going_ "far away"_ from home. He was distracted, though, by a bag that was soon draped over his back. It was blue and looked really cool. He even recognised the letter_ "G"_ on it for his name, but it made him sad to see it as well - _"G"_ is what Vanessa always called him.

'Are you ready?' Clara smiled at her new son, who looked up at her and glanced nervously to the open car door. 'Are you ready for a great adventure in Romania?'

'Yeah!' Gavin smiled. He felt anxious and confused, but he loved adventures. His Mama used to tell him all about them in stories, and how magical they were. Gavin always wanted an adventure of his own, even if it all seemed really scary and new at first. Clara and Amy were so nice, and Gavin was sure he was safe with them. Romania was going to be fun, Gavin decided, as he climbed into the back seat of the car. Clara said there were beaches there too!

His first adventure lay ahead, and Gavin was filled with excitement for what wonderful things awaited him in Romania.


	4. Constanta

**Author's Notes: **Thanks to everyone who reviews, follows, favourites, and reads. And thanks to G for helping me out when needed. You're all awesome. Enjoy!

* * *

**Constanta ~**

**1975**

More than half a day was spent in a plane during the journey from Los Angeles to Romania. Eight-year-old Amy Callen was used to the occasional holidays abroad, but Gavin wasn't. He'd slept on his first plane trip to Los Angeles over a year ago, but this time it was much longer and he was too anxious to rest.

'It's okay, Baby Brother.' Amy said, from where she sat beside him. Clara was in the seat ahead of Gavin, reading a book for most of the travel, though she smiled when she heard Amy's words.

The bond between Amy and Gavin increased during the flight, as they shared some plain biscuits and coloured on paper together. Amy was careful not to lose any of their crayons, and kept engaging Gavin in conversation about what he was drawing or things he liked. The girl giggled at his efforts, though Gavin merely frowned and playfully stuck his tongue out at her.

'Mum, look!' Amy leaned forward to shove a piece of coloured paper in Clara's face.

'Me too! Me too!' Gavin squirmed, but was unable to reach as far ahead of his own seat as Amy was.

The girl saw his struggle, and helped hand his papers to Clara as well.

'These are lovely.' Clara smiled, accepting the artworks from both children.

She looked at Amy's first, and admired her daughter's attention to detail – with a rainforest, a family picture of the three of them, and an expansive ocean shoreline. She turned her attention to Gavin's pictures, and bit back a snort of amusement. None of them made much sense to her, so she turned around to face his eager expression. Clara held one paper up at a time, showing her genuine curiosity and appreciation for their drawings.

'Tell me about them.' Clara encouraged, not wanting to outright ask the little boy what the squiggles and splotches of colour were.

The first picture was a blank page with blue lumpy shapes – much like rushed many-petalled flowers. Gavin pointed to the small window to his right, beside Amy. Clara realised he'd attempted to draw the clouds passing by outside. Gavin explained he used the blue crayon because the paper was already white and clouds weren't supposed to be invisible.

The second drawing was a bit easier to decipher. The scribbled green at the bottom was clearly a grassy ground, and the constantly circled yellow bit at the top was assumed to be the sun. What Clara couldn't work out, however, was the creature drawn in the center of the page.

'That's a dragon.' Gavin said matter-of-factly.

'Oh, indeed it is.' Clara looked it over again.

She thought it was an especially fat dragon, with a big round belly, yet had tiny stick-like legs and arms. According to Gavin, the swirls near the head was supposed to be smoke, and the flicks of lines over its body were some sort of scales or hair.

'Don't dragons have tails?' Clara wondered.

'They do?' Gavin tilted his head to the side in bewilderment. 'I'll fix it!'

He reached for the picture, which Amy passed to him from Clara.

The five-year-old hurriedly got back to work - drawing an oval-shaped tail with stick-thin spikes at the tip. Amy giggled at the image, whereas Clara just enjoyed the company of her children. It was like their family was finally complete, and she was incredibly happy to have both a boy and girl. It felt so right - as if it life couldn't get more perfect than that moment.

'What about this one?' Clara held up the third picture.

It had a bunch of stick-figure people, though she couldn't tell who was who; their appearances were too generic.

'That's my mama and daddy.' Gavin pointed to the darkly-coloured people far to the edge of the paper. 'And Vessa.' He added, for the little girl beside who he'd confirmed to be himself.

On the other side of the crayon-version of himself were three more people.

'That's Amy. And that's you.' Gavin finished, smiling proudly.

'And who's this?' Clara wondered, indicating to the person drawn entirely in red - near the corner and separated from the others.

Gavin stared at it, then frowned. He shrugged, and returned to "fixing" his dragon - scribbling red fire at its mouth. Clara accepted his answer, but looked the page over more carefully to take in every basic detail the boy had drawn.

She couldn't help wondering who the seventh figure was.

~ S ~

It was a thirty-minute drive from the airport to Constanta, although the children in the back seat didn't notice as they'd slept through it.

Arriving at the house they'd be staying in for their trip, Clara turned around in the car to smile at the adorable pair. Amy had her head titled back against the seat, while Gavin's head had slid sideways to rest against her arm. Clara wished she could take a photo of that moment, so it could last forever, but she didn't have a camera with her.

'Kids, we're here.' She said, getting out of the car.

Clara made her way around to the trunk to get out their bags. Amy climbed out of the car first, and led Gavin by the hand so to get a better view of the house. It had a big veranda, and wide windows, though Gavin noticed little else when he was distracted by Clara putting his backpack on him again. Amy's pink bag also went over her shoulders, and Gavin had started to recognise her name when he saw it printed on the back of her slightly tattered bag – just like the _"G"_ was on his new blue one.

'This will be our home for a while.' Clara smiled, guiding them inside the spacious house. 'It used to belong to my Great-Aunt Sabina.'

'It's lovely.' Amy smiled. 'Isn't it?' She looked at her little brother.

Gavin merely shrugged, but did think it was much nicer than any house he'd ever seen before. He didn't even know houses could be that nice. He liked the idea of living there, though he was still sleepy from the long journey and just wanted to lie down somewhere. Ignoring his new sister and mother, Gavin headed to the stairs and slowly ascended them.

Finding a bedroom, he wandered inside the room and crawled up onto a window seat. He was asleep in seconds.

Clara and Amy followed him, though quickly decided to let him rest.

While Clara left the room to get settled in, Amy stayed in the room with Gavin. She sat on the bed to read a book from her bag, while protectively watching over her little brother. She'd been an only child for a long time, and remembered her mother saying Gavin had come from a sad home - he needed his big sister to guide him.

Amy took that very seriously, and would do anything for her baby brother because she never wanted to lose him.

~ S ~

Their trip to Romania was planned to last for about six months. By then, Clara assumed it would be safer to return to America without anyone taking much notice of what happened to the Linmore boy. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about work – return to the CIA or not, but Clara didn't want to worry about the future yet.

For the first three months, Clara only focused on her children.

Gavin struggled at first - sometimes crying for his little sister in the night, but after a while he begun to show real progress as a member of their family. When Amy called him her "baby brother" Gavin would then respond by saying she was his "super sister". Clara would never forget the moment he brought her to tears by calling her his _"Mummy"_ one morning when she woke him for an early breakfast.

Clara had also found a way to soothe Gavin whenever he was upset, when simple cuddles and kisses didn't work – like that morning when he'd told her about a bad dream he'd had were he was taken away from them and thrown into a dark room. She chopped some fresh bananas and placed the bowl on the table, which both kids eagerly shared.

It became Gavin's comfort food after that, and it always worked no matter if the cause of his distress was nightmares, stormy skies, or if he was convinced a spider was out to get him.

Most of the days the family stayed at the house, spending time in each other's company.

Clara would teach them Romani, which was when she discovered Gavin had a natural skill for picking up on other languages, and would reward their determined efforts with a dinner of their favourite food or an outing of their choice. Gavin loved the beach the most, and Amy was happy as long as her brother was, so that was a top choice on those days. When it rained, they would draw pictures for hours in the living room – after a while, the numerous artworks had become the house's second wallpaper.

Overall, it was a great family holiday.

Except, Clara shielded her children from a terrible truth.

In the fifth month of their stay in Romania, she stopped taking them out as much and was less cheerful about spending time on the veranda or in the yard. She made sure the kids had their backpacks with them at all times, and forbid them from answering the phone or door on their own – they didn't do either of those things before, but Clara wanted to make sure they never did.

Clara had hoped it would be over, but memories of her childhood came flooding back when she could have sworn she'd spotted a familiar face the last time they'd gone grocery shopping. A man with dark eyes yet pale hair – a man who had looked down at her children with a devilish smirk. A man who was a member of the Comescu family.

Clara didn't think he'd recognised her, since she hadn't been to Romania since she was a child, yet the fear coursed through her either way. It had taken over a week of stressing before she finally decided to send a message to Hetty. The waiting was almost worse than the fear. Clara knew Hetty probably wouldn't be too happy with her for basically disappearing, for real this time, but Clara put the well-being of her children above everything else.

While she anxiously awaited a response from her mentor, Clara made sure Amy and Gavin were prepared in case they had to move quickly or go into hiding until they could safely return to America - if their holiday was cut shorter than planned.

She busied herself with checking the children's backpacks constantly to make sure they had anything they might need. They wore them wherever they went, and Clara kept each bag well-stocked - while keeping in mind they'd be carrying them around a lot. There were spare clothes, a few favourite toys, as well as some emergency money and food. She frequently to keep checking Gavin's bag, though, when he kept eating the snack bag she put in for him. He was very enthusiastic about carrying all the important things in one bag, and would often prefer to sneak his snacks from the bag instead of eating his lunch offered to him on a plate by Clara.

The backpacks provided a distracted for all of them, and Clara was glad to keep the children from being as worried as she was. They weren't sure what was going on, but treated it like a survival game. Clara encouraged it by teaching good habits and making sure they knew not to talk to strangers. She'd been shocked to realise Gavin hadn't been educated to be wary of strangers at all, whereas Amy knew it wasn't a good idea to trust people so easily if she had no idea who they were.

Clara's CIA training enabled her to keep her own emotions in check, while remaining alert for any potential danger.

They didn't remain confined to the house, but she was being very cautious any time they went outdoors – though it wasn't very often. The only thing she needed now was a safe route back to America without the Comescu family knowing. She needed Hetty's help.

And, finally, after a shorter time than she'd expected – Clara finally received a reply.

She'd never thought two words could be so reassuring, but they were when sent from Henrietta Lange. Clara sank back in her chair, at the table, and exhaled. Everything was going to be okay; they were going to get through this and return safely to America as a family. Clara knew she had to believe that.

She had to believe in Hetty's words.

_I'm coming._


	5. The Black Sea

**Author's Notes: **Sorry I haven't been answering the reviews lately - will work on that! Nevertheless, I appreciate every one of them so thanks to everyone who takes the time to share feedback. And thanks to G, as always.

* * *

**~ The Black Sea ~**

**1975**

Strada Lebedei. Clara repeated the location over and over in her mind, and gave a curt nod to the man who had delivered her message from Hetty.

'Swan Street.' Clara muttered, moving around the house to check they had everything important.

Hetty said to be at the beach that afternoon, so Clara was in a frenzy checking everything and allowing herself to feel confident that things were going to be okay. In an hour, they'd be safe. They'd be on a plane back to America, as a family, and the fear would be over.

'Amy! Gavin!' Clara called the children downstairs. 'It's time to go.'

They didn't ask questions, as the pair trailed down the stairs with their bags over their shoulders; she'd explained early that morning how they may have to leave quickly or go somewhere to wait for her friends. Gavin squirmed when she checked their bags, and Clara quickly restocked his snacks again before leading them out the door.

Tossing their bags into the trunk of the car, Clara made sure the kids were secured in their seatbelts before she hurried around to the driver's side of the vehicle.

The drive to the beach felt longer than it actually was, and Clara spent the entire time calming herself to make sure she didn't worry the children. She had to remain alert and strong for them.

'We're going to play at the beach for a while, okay?' Clara smiled, as they got out.

'Yay!' Gavin grinned.

'Amy.' Clara told her daughter carefully. 'Stay close to your brother.'

'Okay, Mum.' Amy nodded, reaching to hold Gavin's hand. She walked beside him, as they crossed the road, and removed their shoes when they reached the sand.

Clara spread a big blue towel out on the sand, and unfolded a yellow chair beside it for her to sit on. Amy settled on the towel, while Gavin eyed the tools Clara got out of a beach bag. Two blue buckets, a small yellow bucket, and a blue spade were all it took to make the boy's day. He eagerly carried them to Clara's right, and sat down to play.

Clara felt safe enough at the beach, so she didn't mind letting Amy run off to play with some of the people kicking a ball around further away. The girl remained in her plain sight and several other kids were playing too. Gavin remained only three feet away, which Clara was relieved by. She was alert, but not as panicked as she'd been before hearing from Hetty.

Clara opened a book on her lap, yet looked around to take in every detail she could.

Amy looked so sophisticated in her purple dress, with her hair tied back, and was rather graceful even with her pink backpack attached to her shoulders.

Gavin was dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt, and a pair of white shorts with red stripes on the sides. His blonde hair stood out, as he played with the sand and worked filling a blue bucket. His bag remained on the towel next to Clara, but he was so nearby she didn't bother reminding him to wear it. Clara chuckled at his concentrated efforts, and slipped some dark sunglasses over her eyes. Gavin heard her and looked over – she offered him a wide smile, and the boy returned it with glee.

Clara pulled a white sun-hat over her head to shield her face from the early afternoon sunlight, and exhaled a calming breath. She lowered her eyes to the pages of the book in front of her, though she didn't allow it to distract her from keeping an eye on her children. Clara and didn't realise her sense of security was merely a well-structured illusion.

Clara, Amy, and Gavin were being closely watched.

Gavin scooped some sand into his bucket, and overturned it with the intention of building a big castle. He dug at the sand, then paused when he had a strange feeling. Looking up, he saw two men in suits approach their area. One looked oddly at him then moved to talk to Clara, though Gavin couldn't hear what they were saying.

'Hei.'

Gavin looked away from Clara, distracted by the man standing over him. He wore brown trousers, a black jacket, and a white shirt. The five-year-old observed those aspects of the man's appearance, but not his face. He even noticed the strange tattooed mark on his wrist, without thinking anything else was important.

Gavin looked at the mostly-white toy solider in the man's offered hand - his first thought was the solider had a really big hat.

'For me?' Gavin wondered, unsure by the gesture.

'Sure.' The man nodded, speaking with a Romani accent. 'For your sandcastle.'

'Thanks.' Gavin said, accepting the toy.

He wasn't sure if he was supposed to talk to the stranger, but Clara hadn't called him over or told him not to, so Gavin figured it was okay even if the company felt a bit weird. Maybe these were the friends she'd talked about, who they were waiting for?

Gavin kept his back to Clara, as he built up the castle mound, and placed his new solider upright near the top. The solider looked good there, as if he was guarding the castle from dragons. Gavin smiled, and returned to using his spade to shovel sand into one of the blue buckets.

Clara sounded distressed behind him, as though she was upset about something. Gavin stopped playing, and turned slightly so his ears were aimed in her direction. He couldn't tell what was going on, but silence followed - he picked up some sand in his hands and let it fall from his overturned palm.

Things didn't feel right, and Gavin couldn't work out why.

Gavin reached to grab the toy solider again, preparing to move it so he could add more sand to the castle without burying it entirely, but halted. There was the sound of a contained sob from Clara - Gavin looked over in time to see the second man raise a gun with a silencer. Two shots rang out, though only Gavin seemed to hear them.

The five-year-old's entire world came crashing down in that single moment.

Clara slumped; her head tilted to the side with her face still concealed by her wide sun-hat. The sound and action made Gavin jump upright in alarm. He stood on the sand with his bare feet, and stared frozen at her motionless form.

He saw blood, but couldn't move or speak.

Gavin's breaths turned to struggled gasps, as his blue eyes fixed widely on the chair where his new mother sat. He was in shock; not entirely sure what had happened, but somehow knew she wasn't going to move - Clara wasn't going to speak, or even breathe, again.

Gavin felt harsh emotions swirling through him, blurring his vision and senses. Voices and movements against the same became jumbles of noises. People, and everything else, were only colours rushing around him. He didn't react when he heard Amy yelling, or when strong arms grabbed him around the middle from behind. Someone collected his blue backpack, at Amy's insisting, but Gavin hardly noticed. Someone carried him away from the beach, with the toy solider still clutched in his small hand. The sight of Clara sitting in the chair was all Gavin could see – even when she faded away entirely. It was the last sight he'd ever have of her - of the new mother who had loved him as her own even after only five months since adopting him.

Clara Callen was dead – but Gavin's ordeal after witnessing her murder was far from over.

That day at the beach would not be easily forgotten. Of the time he'd sat by the black sea, filled with joy and safety – only to have it all taken away. After that day, the only black sea Gavin knew was the pit of his own churning emotions that filled his small form; the waves of fear, confusion, and loss; the slopes of grief raising and falling to no particular tune; and the depths of all blackness that submerged everything he'd ever known. Gavin was drowning in his own mind, fading and falling, until nothing made sense to him anymore...

Only blackness.

* * *

'I got two more for ya.' A balding man stepped into a file-cramped office in Los Angeles.

He dropped three folders on the desk, where a younger man looked over at them with dread. The man at the desk might be used to updating and creating files as his job, but every day he wished the piles would decrease rather than expand from his desk to stacks near the walls and in the corners.

'I have enough stuff to file as it is.' He grumbled to his company. 'Why are there three folders? You said two.'

'One kid was in the foster system before he was adopted. His adoptive mother was killed yesterday – that's all I know, Mick.'

'A foster kid?' Mick rolled his eyes, then sighed. 'Do they have any other family?'

'The girl, Amy Callen, doesn't.' The man said sadly. 'The boy has a previous family – his biological sister, Vanessa Linmore, is in foster care too.'

'What do I do with the two files for the boy?' Mick complained. 'Hardly seems important - they'll go into foster care regardless.'

'The boy's file needs updating, since we have both his previous situation and his new one to take into account; prior life and post-adoption details. We're not exactly sure of his name, though.'

'How can you not know his name?' Mick rolled his eyes, moving to flip open both of Gavin's files side-by-side. 'Gavin Linmore and G Callen?'

'We don't know if the G is a shortening of his previous name, or if it's changed to that now. You know adoptive parents like to change the kids names. The sister just calls him her baby brother, and the boy isn't talking. Her bag was labelled by her full name, and his only had _"G Callen"_ written on it. Looks like his name, but-'

'Who cares?' Mick interrupted, snapping the Linmore file shut. 'He's a foster kid. We'll be making it easier on the authorities in the future by keeping the name simple. You know how those lot are? Kids get given weird names all the time; he'll probably think it's cool having only a letter for his name.'

'Are you sure?' The older man frowned, hesitant to just declare the child's name without any reassuring certainty to back it up to make sure they wouldn't be making a mistake.

'Chill, Dude.' Mick smirked, starting a new file. 'Foster kids don't go far - it's not like he'll be the next president or anything important. He'll probably only end up in some crap job or jail anyway. Someone screws them up, so they've got nothing left but to be screw-ups themselves. It's just the way they are – what's a name gonna matter?'

'Alright.' The balding man conceded. 'Whatever you think is best, Mick.'

While the other man left, Mick started comparing details from broth files to make sure all the necessary details were included in the new file for the boy. If he got them over with, they'd be able to hand them in to Social Services by that afternoon and get the children settled back in the American Foster System right after landing from Romania.

The girl's file was easy enough, so Mick put most of his disinterested effort into updating the boy's file. He left the name for last. Mick scanned his dark gaze over the two files handed to him, and had a moment of doubt.

'G Callen.' Mick said aloud, shrugging briefly as he wrote it down on the paper. 'Kid won't notice the difference - not where he's going. So what if it's just a letter? It's no different to Jay or Dee - He'll get over it. I got more important things to do.'


	6. Reunion

**Author's Notes: **Note sure if many are still reading this, but enjoy!

* * *

**~ Reunion ~**

**1977**

For the first year back in foster care, after Clara had been killed, Gavin didn't talk much.

As the months ticked by, and the nightmares decreased, Gavin finally allowed Amy to help him reclaim some sense of normalcy. She kept him close, protecting and playing with him as much as possible, until Gavin started smiling again and saying her name. Other words soon followed, until another year later when Amy was also taken from him.

Seven-year-old Gavin sat alone on his bed at the most recent foster placement. He shared it with another boy close to his age, though neither paid the other much attention - except when either woke panicked from a nightmare in the middle of the night or earliest hours of the day. The house wasn't bad, and the foster woman mostly kept to herself or tended to the baby, but Gavin didn't like it.

He never liked any of the places they made him stay in because he knew it wasn't home.

After two years back in the welfare system, however, Gavin begun to lose sight of what home was. Clara's face was unfamiliar to him now, and Vanessa's name took a second or third try to remember. In the two years since he'd left Romania, Gavin started to understand he didn't really have a home left. Whenever he found one, it was taken away. Just like his family was taken away. It was the hardest thing he'd ever learned, to realise nothing lasted forever.

Not houses or people – not even homes or families.

'Callen?'

The foster lady, who was slightly on the larger side of the scales, broke his thread of thought.

He looked at her, but didn't speak. His words were valuable to him now – if he said too many, than too much was equally expected of him. He gained attention, and spurred further conversations – both which he did not want. If he spoke too little, however, they looked at him oddly - Gavin was tired of all the concerned or wary faces aimed his way.

'Time to go.'

Gavin nodded, and rose from the bed. He walked to the end where his worn blue backpack sat on the floor. He picked it up, and traced his hand over the letter G. No one called him Gavin anymore, and he didn't quite understand it. Now it was "Callen" after his new family who had adopted him - before he'd lost them, just like his first family. The blue bag was all he had left as a reminder that, even for a while, someone had wanted him to be a part of their family.

He had been loved, but nothing lasts forever.

Gavin draped the bag over his shoulders and sighed, though he was confident he didn't have to pack. He never unpacked because he never expected to stay anywhere for long. It was better to be prepared for change, than expect things to stay the same. He had everything important in his bag, and even at seven-years-old - Gavin tried to convince himself it was all he would ever need.

Walking outside the house, Gavin looked at who was driving him today. He didn't know how he felt to see a now-familiar face watching him - Cindy. He'd last seen her a day or so before Clara had come to take him away from the orphanage with the promise of never having to go back there.

Cindy offered him a smile, as she leaned against the side of her blue car, but Gavin knew what a happy smile really looked like and which were just polite. He'd learned from Amy, who tried to be friendly even when she was sad. And from himself, for every time he stood in front of a bathroom mirror to remind himself he had to smile more if he didn't want to spend every day wondering where he'd be sleeping that night. A kid who didn't smile was a brat who could only cause trouble – that's the impression he'd received from social workers and foster parents since he'd left Romania.

'Hello, Gavin.' Cindy said, as he approached her car.

'Hello.' He repeated.

'I've got a surprise for you.' Cindy said, as they got into the car.

Gavin wasn't sure what to say, or if it was worth saying anything at all.

He moved strands of blonde hair from his face, and looked through the window at the passing scenery. He wasn't as fond of surprises as he had once been – not since an older boy shoved his head in a toilet last year, only days after Gavin saw Amy for the last time. Although, it was nice to be called by his old name again – and Gavin briefly wondered why Cindy, of all people, still used it. She was a social worker, and they generally only went by what was in his file.

He kept quiet, until they arrived at another house. It was bigger, and nicer, than most of the houses he'd stayed in so far. Gavin had no interest in any more than it's overall condition and size, as he doubted he'd be there long enough to really form an opinion about the windows or lawn.

'Come on.' Cindy encouraged when Gavin took his time getting out of the car.

'I am.' He frowned at her.

Gavin took in her appearance, though. It had been years since he'd seen her, yet Cindy looked about the same as before - with her dark hair and odd clothes. She wasn't any brighter than before, in terms of style and attitude.

'Right in here.' Cindy said, holding open the front door for him.

Gavin glanced suspiciously at her, then walked forward and entered the house. A tall man stood by the kitchen with his shorter wife. They seemed happy enough to see him, but Gavin soon learned they weren't the ones he should have noticed first.

'Hi.'

Gavin blinked away from the couple, and looked at the four-year-old standing in front of him. Her light brown hair, and stunning blue eyes, were so familiar Gavin almost started crying right then and there.

When she offered him a smile, he immediately knew who she was.

'V-Vessa?' He gasped with disbelief.

'Hi, G.' She smiled, nodding her head shyly. 'It's me.'

'You remember me?' Gavin could only stare at his sister, but didn't receive a verbal response when the little girl jumped forward.

Her arms wrapped tightly around him, and Gavin felt something he hadn't experienced for a very long time: peace.

Memories of a tattered house formed in his mind, from years ago. He remembered his mother, Lisa, crying and calling for him as Cindy took him away from her. He recalled his dad, Chad, being restrained by the police for trying to stop them from taking his children away. And he remembered her, his little sister, who was the princess he had to protect and care for.

Gavin's whole life flooded back to him - no longer were they brief sounds or images he couldn't quite form into an overall memory. Everything cleared in his mind, as though a foggy blindfold had been removed from his brain upon the sight of his sister. He partially remembered the move to Los Angeles, and living in a house where he'd had a mattress instead of a bed. He remembered the yelling, and the clutter - then he remembered the beach.

A different beach - without blackness or blood.

Gavin was overwhelmed with emotions next; he remembered the warmth of his little sister's embrace, and the bubbly joy he felt when she smiled so trusting and happy towards him. She'd given him a sense of belonging, and of purpose, though Gavin wasn't sure he deserved it after what happened the last time he'd seen her. Somehow, he still felt as though he had betrayed her for not being a better big brother to her.

'You got big.' Gavin chuckled, leaning back to look Vanessa over again.

She wasn't the chubby little baby anymore; she could talk properly, and was much taller than he'd imagined she could be in comparison to his own height. Even with her more defined features, and obvious growth, Vanessa was still his little sister. Tears dripped down his face when Gavin grasped just how much he'd truly missed her. His heart had ached for home, and yet he now knew it wasn't a house or a group of people that determined where home was – it was her.

Vanessa was his home.

'I missed you, G.' Vanessa said, tearing up as well.

Gavin couldn't take it any more.

He released a sob, and slid to the floor, with too many emotions hitting him all at once. She joined him, and cuddled up partially on his lap, as she pressed her head to his shoulder. The reunited siblings stayed on the floor for as long as they could, before the couple standing nearby finally encouraged them to get up. There were no other kids in the house, Gavin barely noticed, and it was a welcome change. Not even Cindy had remained, as though she'd slipped away along with the fog that previously clouded the memories in his mind.

Gavin and Vanessa sat at the table to eat sandwiches together, each taking in the sight of the other, with goofy smiles on their young faces. The woman went to do laundry, and the man took them into outside to the backyard to kick a ball back and forth. Gavin was hesitant at first, recalling Amy kicking a ball around on the beach in Romania, then forced his attention to Vanessa.

'C'mon, G!' She cheered him on. 'Kick it to me!'

Gavin drew his foot back, and kicked the green ball - sending it rolling hazardously across the grass where it hit a wooden fence. The man laughed, while Vanessa grumpily hurried to retrieve it. Gavin smiled, though, as her kicks weren't any better-aimed than his.

'Why don't you take your bag off, Son?' The man suggested. 'It might help you balance better without the extra weight.'

Gavin frowned at him, and hesitated. Clara always told him to keep it close, so whenever he had to move quickly he would still have everything he needed right there with him. It was a hard habit to break, after two years of proving the point of its purpose, yet Vanessa's laughter and calling was enough for him to shed the bag and let it drop to the grass nearby.

'To me, to me!' Vanessa waved her hands.

'Okay!' Gavin kicked it, pleased when it reached her, and clapped -although he had no idea why it was worth an applause.

'Got it.' Vanessa said, though he could see she had it, and readied herself for another swing.

She aimed, then kicked as hard as she could, but completely misjudged the distance. Missing the target, she slipped on the damp grass, and landed on her rear. The man laughed, and Gavin cracked a smile too. She was unharmed, and Gavin soon heard a surprised giggle escape his lips. The sound of his own laughter was foreign, but once it broke loose he couldn't stop it.

Vanessa glared at him, and tried to correct her mistake in a second attempt, but Gavin didn't pay attention.

The only thing that stopped his laughter was when the green ball flew towards him, and smacked Gavin right in the forehead. He felt the impact, and the _"thump"_, as the air-filled plastic collided with his head. He fell backwards onto the grass, feeling an ache spread through his skull, yet his smile didn't fade.

'G!' Vanessa hurried over to check he was okay, and make sure he knew she was sorry for her bad kicking.

'I'm okay.' Gavin said, not caring it he actually was or not.

A headache was fine with him, as long as he had Vanessa to kiss it better. And she did – the little girl leaned to plant a sloppy kiss on his forehead, just like she used to when they were much younger.

'You're gonna have a bump there tomorrow.' The man said, leaning to check Gavin over.

'I'm sorry!' Vanessa said for the sixth time.

'It's okay, Vessa.' Gavin smiled at her, and sat up. 'Don't be sad. I'm not.'

Gavin would still have nightmares that night, and he still won't unpack his bag before he went to bed or when he got up the next morning. His words would remain valuable, and his conversations carefully chosen, but that was okay. Everything was okay now - as long as he had Vanessa back with him. Even if he only saw her for a day, a month, or a year – Gavin knew there was hope. His little sister - his princess to be protected, reminded him that for all the darkness in the world, and in his own mind, there was also light.

And nothing was brighter to Gavin than the special smile Vanessa reserved only for her big brother; it lit up his whole world.

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**Author's Notes: **As always, feedback is greatly appreciated!


	7. The Dragon's Cave

**Author's Notes: **I wrote the chapter too long, so I had to split it into two separate chapters - therefore, the next one is already fully-written! Will update it in a day or so. Unfortunately, though, Gavin does not officially appear in this chapter because of where I split it. Thank you to everyone who is still reading!

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**~ The Dragon's Cave ~**

**1978**

Five-year-old Vanessa was very nervous.

She stood on the pavement, and stared over at the house she only had fuzzy memories of. She hadn't been there in three years. Vanessa never wanted to set foot inside that house again – not without her big brother there to protect her and make sure everything was okay.

'I don't wanna!' Vanessa squirmed away from Cindy, and clutched to the brown bear she had wrapped tightly in her arms.

The toy was second-hand, but had been given to her by Gavin last Christmas. They'd been in and out of three homes since their reunion a year ago, and things were going great until Cindy showed up to once again to take it all away. Gavin had cried, and kicked a wooden chair so hard he broke the leg off it. Vanessa fought and screamed the whole way to the car, where she fell silent and merely hugged her bear close as if it was a piece of Gavin himself.

'Your parents are really looking forward to seeing you.' Cindy tried to cheer her up, while retrieving a bag from the trunk.

Vanessa did not share the woman's enthusiasm.

She didn't remember her parents much – only bits of what Gavin had told her. She did remember things like not having a bed, and being hungry a lot, but overall is wasn't very clear. It made her more anxious because Vanessa wasn't sure what to expect from the old house and the parents she'd once had. She had no idea it had even been possible to go back to them, and yet Cindy seemed quite sure the dragons had been tamed.

Cindy knocked on the door, while Vanessa stood warily behind her. They waited, until the door was opened by Lisa. She seemed dazed, as if in disbelief, and nudged Cindy aside so she could properly see her daughter.

'Oh, my God.' Lisa muttered quietly, taking in the sight of her five-year-old - who she hadn't seen in years.

'Hi.' Vanessa said shyly. She wore plain jeans, and a faded pink shirt, but didn't understand why her mother kept staring at her as if there was so much to look at.

'Hi, Baby.' Lisa said, tearfully.

'Your son can be returned to you as well.' Cindy reminded Lisa. 'I'm sure he would want to be with his sister.'

Lisa fixed Cindy with a disapproving glare, and shook her head with rejection. The women exchanged no further words, other than Cindy's dutiful cautions, and Vanessa was left standing alone on the doorstep in from of her mother.

'Do you remember me?' Lisa worriedly asked.

'A bit.' Vanessa squirmed.

'Come on, come in!' Lisa said eagerly, brushing Vanessa into the house.

The girl nervously looked around, and exhaled a captured breath when she saw the house wasn't as cluttered anymore. There were a lot of stacks of books, but the place wasn't how Gavin had explained it to have once been.

'Come see your room.' Lisa said. 'I got it all ready for you.'

Vanessa followed her mother to the nearby bedroom, having a brief memory of a mattress and pink sheets. This time there was a bed against a wall, with a wooden frame for the mattress to rest on. The blankets were colourful, though with the occasional stain from its previous owner – overall, the bedroom resembled more of an actual room than it ever had in the past.

'Put you bag here.' Lisa said, patting the bed. 'We'll unpack later.'

Vanessa hesitated, remembering Gavin talking about bags and how important they were to keep the valuable stuff close, but she did as she was told in worry of making her mother upset with her.

Vanessa didn't let go of her bear, though.

'Are you hungry?' Lisa asked. 'We have fruit in the fridge.'

'I'm okay.' Vanessa said, having ate as much as she could that morning – just in case.

'Okay.' Lisa exhaled. 'Daddy will be home from work very soon. He's so excited to see you!'

'Mmhm.' Vanessa fidgeted.

'Oh!' Lisa couldn't retrain herself any longer.

She jumped forward, startling the girl, and lifted Vanessa up into her arms to hug her tightly close. Vanessa gasped and wriggled at first, then froze until it was over. The girl had no strong bond or attachment to her mother; the moment just felt weird and confusing to her. Vanessa supposed she would have to get used to it, when Lisa took her back to the main room and babbled about how no one was ever taking her baby away from her again.

There was a _"click"_ as the front door opened, and a tired-looking Chad walked into the house. He sighed, and dropped his briefcase beside the door. Removing his jacket, he hung it on a small hook in the wall, and tugged at his tie to loosen it as though it was a hangman's noose.

'Chad.' Lisa said, fighting excitement as she steered Vanessa to face him. 'Look.'

'Hm?' Chad glanced over, then lowered his blue gaze down to five-year-old Vanessa. The change in his mood and posture was instant. 'Vanessa?'

'Hi.' The girl said, squirming uncomfortably again.

'Little Ness, is that really you?' Chad gasped, unable to believe his baby girl had turned into a kid so quickly.

He laughed, mostly from disbelief, then rushed forward and scooped her into his arms. Unlike Lisa, he didn't force her into an awkward hug – Chad merely held her and took in her older appearance with joy and shock.

'Hi, Daddy.' Vanessa said dutifully.

'Hey, Baby Girl.' Chad kissed her cheek, then looked over at Lisa. 'This was today? You said it was next week! Why didn't you tell me it was today? Why-?' He paused, and his gaze trailed around the living room for something that wasn't there.

'I wanted to surprise you.' Lisa grinned, spreading her arms out as if to say _"ta-da!"_

'Lisa, where's Gavin?' Chad wondered, then worried. 'They said he was back in foster care. Where is he?'

He put Vanessa down, who hugged her bear close and hurried to sit on a nearby sofa in case the dragons breathed smoke and got loud. It was the only part about her previous residence in the house that the girl had no trouble remembering.

'He didn't want to come home.' Lisa said, though she shifted her gaze to the floor.

'He's seven-years-old.' Chad narrowed his eyes, his voice taking on a deeper tone. 'He doesn't know what he wants. And he certainly doesn't have a choice about where he stays – not since they took him from us. Lisa, where is Gavin?'

'Chad, we got our baby back.' Lisa frowned. 'Can we talk about this later? Vanessa is home!' She tried to cheer him up, indicating to the nervous little girl seated nearby.

Chad went very quiet. He stared at his wife, then lowered his furious gaze to think for a moment. His fists clenched, and his posture became tense. With rapid movement, he lifted his chin and set Lisa with a glare of fury.

'You're unbelievable!' Chad growled. 'Our own son.'

'He left me!' Lisa finally broke, shouting at her husband right in front of Vanessa. 'Some other woman took him! He's not our son anymore, Chad. They corrupted him!'

Chad took an angry step towards Lisa, and raised his fists as if to hit her. She backed away, but kept her glare set against his enraged glower. Chad swung his hand, slapping the side of a nearby wall, and spun around. He saw Vanessa shaking fearfully on the sofa, and pressed his teeth tightly together.

'I am happy to see you, Honey. Welcome home.' Chad said to his daughter. He'd forced out the words, and cautiously moved to place a kiss to the top of her head.

He turned to give Lisa a dirty look, then grabbed something from a nearby table and stormed from the house. The screen door resounded back into its frame, as he left and approached his car. Getting in, Chad pulled the door closed and released a long breath of anger. He needed to clear his head, and there was only one place that could help him regain any lost clarity or calm: the beach.

Starting the engine, Chad looked to the house to see his little girl standing at the door – watching him preparing to drive away. He could only just see her through the screen, but it made his heart clench. Tucked under Vanessa's arm was her teddy bear, and Chad couldn't stand the sight of it. He wanted to hit something. Turning away, he revved the car to life and drove quickly out onto the road.

He sped away from the street, and continued a familiar path to the seaside not too far away.

Chad couldn't go to the spot near their house, though. He kept going – unable to venture onto the same patch of sand where his children had been playing when they'd first been taken away. Vanessa had been a toddler, and yet she looked even more fragile and young now – even at the age of five.

It only made his anger boil to higher levels.

Parking at an angle, Chad hastily left the car and marched forward onto the sand. He stood there, in his work shoes and attire, and looked far across to the shoreline. Chad kept walking, feeling the world shed away with each step he took that brought him closer to the oceanic blue he needed. Standing feet from the water's limits, he released a breath and let the cool air blow his blonde hair out of his face.

The ocean always gave him perception – not just because of the waves he'd spent most of his life surfing, but because of Gavin.When Lisa first told him she was pregnant, Chad had panicked. He more than panicked, actually – he'd run away. For the whole day, he'd fled. Chad had found himself at the beach, and all he could think about was how he wasn't ready to be a father and didn't think he could provide the money to give his child a good life.

Lisa always remind him of that, every single day, and Chad resented it.

Sitting on the warm sand now, glad to be left alone, Chad thought about that happier time over eight years ago. It was happy compared to now. He'd been a different man back then – a younger and more hopeful man. A man who was about to be a father for the very first time.

A man who was a coward.

There he sat again, once more considering the fate of his son. Vanessa was home, and Chad was glad to see her again – except he'd never seen her, not once, without Gavin at her side. It was wrong on many levels, and he couldn't wrap his mind around it. All he felt was anger, resentment, and bitterness. Chad didn't want to go home; he was sick of it all.

He wanted to run away again.

He didn't, though. Chad knew he should – it wouldn't be good if he stayed, but something else stirred in his mind. Something he hadn't thought of since that first day when Lisa told him he was going to be a father. Chad wasn't sure what it was, but he didn't like it. It gave him the same sense of foreboding and dread that one got from looking at a bridge they had to cross - yet knew it would probably break beneath their feet before they got to the other side.

Chad could sense a change within himself, and it made him nervous. There was something inside him he couldn't push away or ignore this time, and Chad knew it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience. Whatever it was, Chad also knew the ocean wasn't going to wash it away this time. Gavin's very existence had created it, and Chad understood a coward didn't outrun his problems at all – he just gave them something to chase.

He was tired of running, and hiding, from himself - he was just tired of everything.

Chad rose from the sand, and brushed himself of. He didn't care about the state of his one set of work-clothes, even though Lisa would be furious. It was justified, he believed, because he was more than furious with her.

Returning to his car, Chad got in and gripped the steering wheel tighter than necessary. With one last longing look at the slopes of waves, Chad started the engine and drove the car back onto the road to head further into the city.

For the first time in years, Chad decided he was going to take back the control.

It was someone else's turn to run away, not his.


	8. Small Rooms & Big Changes

**Author's Notes:** A special thanks to **CALLEN37**, **Blue Dogs Rock**, and **BH72** for your continued feedback + support! I really appreciate it, and it helps motivate me to update faster. Also thanks to those who contacted me on Twitter. It is so reassuring to know there are readers out there who are still enjoying and following this story, so thank you!

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**~ Small Rooms & Big Changes ~**

**1978**

Eight-year-old Gavin didn't like small rooms.

The only thing he hated more than a small room was an almost-small room with lots of colour and toys surrounding him – those rooms were suspiciously too-happy for his liking. He sat on a blue plastic chair, with his colour-matched bag draped over his back because he'd refused to take it off when a man had taken him to the room.

He didn't know why he was there, but Gavin didn't like it one bit.

He had no idea that only a few weeks earlier his adoptive sister, Amy Callen, had drowned in a river and was buried under another name: Hannah Lawson. It was Cindy who spared him the detail, yet Gavin had seen the new sadness in her eyes for the first day or two. He was too aware of the expressions of adults, as they were an important thing to notice, and he didn't like being lied to. Like when the man collected him from his foster home and brought him to the too-happy room, telling Gavin they were going somewhere nice. The nicest place the adults had ever taken him to was a bathroom with a landscape scenery painted on a wall. He'd have liked it even more if they hadn't caught him trying to climb out the window.

The man even told him earlier that he had a surprise for him, and Gavin hadn't been able to explain just how much he hated it when anyone tried to surprise him.

The door opened, and Cindy walked in. Gavin crossed his arms and glared at her, not realising he wasn't very intimidating while wearing a shirt with a picture of a smiley face on it.

'Should we tell him who it is?' Cindy whispered to the man, who rose to join her.

Gavin wanted to yell at them, to remind them he had ears too, but didn't. His words were valuable, but his ability to overhear without them realising was a far greater treasure. The less they thought he knew, the more Gavin could get away with knowing.

'No.' The man shook his head. 'It'll be okay.'

Cindy left the room, and the man moved to sit in a corner to observe - he was required to sit in on all of such visits. Gavin gave the man his best glare too, then focused on the person crossing the doorway on the other side of the room. His frown dropped, as did his arms, and Gavin could not decide how to react.

'D-Daddy?' Gavin whispered, seeing Chad step inside and look him over.

'G, that really you?' Chad swallowed, even more stunned than when he'd seen Vanessa for the first time in years the previous day. 'You've really grown.'

Gavin noticed the sadness in his father's voice, and the way Chad shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket with uncertainty. The boy knew Vanessa had gone back to the dragons, but the only image Gavin had in his head of his parents was from the day he'd been taken – his mother sobbing and yelling for him, and his father being tackled by police officers.

'Where's Mama?' Gavin accused. 'Where's Vessa?'

'At home.' Chad sighed, moving to sit in a too-small chair at a play-table. 'Things are different now. I got a better job, and we bought some new things. Your sister is happy, G.'

'No more yelling?' Gavin hurried across the room, and climbed onto the chair at the table, staring at his father with determination. 'Lots of food?'

'Yeah. Yeah, all of it.' Chad nodded, sighing again. 'Your mother even learned to cook.'

'Mama can't cook.' Gavin shook his head, awaiting to be told a lie.

'No, she can't.' Chad cracked a rare smile. 'I cook, and she tells me how.'

Gavin nodded, but was still confused. All his memories didn't add up to what he was being told. Things changed all the time, he knew that, but dragons don't become anything other than a dragon.

'How are you?' Chad wanted to know, inching closer to the table. 'They said your adoptive mother, she-'

'She's dead.' Gavin said darkly. His young face coloured with a look that startled Chad. 'And I couldn't save her. No one stays.'

Chad exhaled a long breath, and nodded. They remained quiet for a moment, then he cleared his throat and fixed his son with a stern expression.

'Sometimes, bad things happen.' Chad acknowledged. 'Sometimes, we have dreams that don't happen. Sometimes, things get taken away that we can't get back. I know how you feel, Gavin. I do.'

'How?' The boy snapped, though not too loudly.

'When I was a bit older than you are now, I had a brother.' Chad shared, looking to the man in the corner and wished he didn't have to be there during the private moment. 'His name was Andrew. He was older than me, and taught me everything I knew back then.'

'What happened?' Gavin said, having never known about Andrew before.

'He died.' Chad frowned, and swallowed. 'It was an accident. I was right there – I saw it happen. I couldn't save him.'

'Like me.' Gavin said, looking at the table in front of him.

He'd never imagined a moment like this was possible - where he could sit with his father and actually talk to him. Chad never talked – he just worked, and yelled. Nothing made sense to Gavin anymore. He wanted to get out of the room and go somewhere familiar - until he realised he had nowhere familiar to go.

'My point is, Gavin, that even if bad things happen - we're still here.' Chad said gruffly, forcing away his own memories.

'You're never here.' Gavin accused, as the hurt from all the years up until that point resurfaced at once.

Not just Clara, and Amy - or Vanessa, and Lisa, but all the times Chad had walked out the door to go to work, and the nights he came back just to yell. He was too tired, or too annoyed, to spend much time with his family. And when he did, it was so rare Gavin had trouble feeling certain if those moments had happened at all.

'I know.' Chad frowned. 'That's going to change. We're going to be in this room more, okay? I'm going to make sure you're alright – I'm going to promise you that, Gavin.'

'You have to work.' Gavin shook his head, not believing the promise at all. Promises were just things adults said when they wanted to make something happen, but never did.

'Yes, I do.' Chad agreed. 'But not Thursdays anymore. Thursday will be our day from now on – as long as they let me.' He looked angrily at the man in the corner.

'I wanna see Vessa.'

'You know her name is _Van_essa, right?' Chad chuckled.

'I know.' Gavin rolled his eyes; as if he wouldn't know his own sister's name! 'But she's still Vessa to me.'

'I'll see what I can do.' Chad nodded. 'For now, just hang in there.'

'I don't wanna, Daddy.' Gavin swallowed. 'I wanna come home, to Vessa. To you.'

'I want that too.' Chad said emotionally, but kept himself together for his son. 'Your mother- Gavin, you can't come home right now. If everything goes well, though, you might be able to visit on the weekends when you don't have school. Do you like school?'

'It's okay.' Gavin shrugged.

Chad wished he'd seen his little boy's first day of school, and been able to bicker with Lisa over uniforms and the school selections. But he had no control over his son's life – and no say in the decisions. It was his biggest regret; to think he worked all day so his family could live comfortably, and yet through it all he completely missed that his babies wouldn't be babies forever. The evidence sat across the table from him – his eight-year-old son, Gavin. The boy looked years older, with signs of his ordeals showing on his once-bright face.

Chad just wanted his bubbly baby boy back, but that child was gone – though not completely, he hoped.

Chad wanted to make the most of time now. He was furious at Lisa for thinking Gavin wasn't their son anymore, and thus decided not to bring him home. Chad would never forgive her for that. His own father had left when he was young, and Chad vowed to never abandon his own child in such a way. He didn't care if he had to lie to Lisa to visit Gavin, because Chad was determined. He had to do at least one good thing right in his son's eyes, and being there for Gavin was the best he could do right now.

Therefore, every Thursday afternoon Chad and Gavin would sit in that room for an hour with Cindy observing from a nearby corner. Gavin still didn't talk much, so Chad did his best to fill in the silence by telling his son about Andrew. It helped their communication along, as Gavin responded most to stories of another big brother, and anything Chad said about Vanessa.

After a month, Chad came to the room a bit early one Thursday morning, with a big grin on his face.

Gavin was confused, and was even more nervous this time. He squirmed in his seat, and couldn't look his father in the eyes, until the boy could keep his valued silence no longer.

'I gotta tell ya something.' Gavin said quickly. 'You gotta promise not to be mad.'

'Did you get into a fight at school?' Chad tried to guess, worried by the distress on his son's face.

'No.' Gavin shook his head.

Actually, he had, but with one punch it was over so he didn't think it really counted as a fight. It wasn't his fault the bully thought he could try and get Gavin into trouble, and not expect a punch for it.

'Do you like a girl?' Chad asked.

'No, Daddy.' Gavin rolled his eyes.

It was a silly thought – girls were weird! Of course, that nice green-eyed girl a year older than him wasn't so weird, but it was not something he needed to tell his father about.

'Okay, I'm out.' Chad shrugged. 'What is it?'

'I wanna say...' Gavin inhaled a deep breath. 'Iloveya.'

'What?' Chad frowned. 'I didn't catch that?'

'I love you, Daddy.' Gavin gulped. 'I thought you should know.'

'Oh.' Chad blinked, surprised. 'You were worried about telling me that?'

'I never really told no one before.' Gavin looked downwards, ashamed. 'I didn't know if you loved me back, but I had to tell you in case you went away again.'

Chad wanted to scream, kick, and cry. He glared at Cindy, then walked around the table, and crouched in front of his blushing child.

'G, listen to me.' Chad said sternly. 'I love you. I have always loved you. I've made a lot of mistakes, but I'm trying to be better. I love you, son.'

'You do?' Gavin blinked back tears, staring at his father's equally blue eyes. 'For real?'

'For real.' Chad nodded, hoping to convince the boy. 'Love is something that can _never_ be taken away. Never. My big brother taught me that.'

'I wish I had a brother.' Gavin sighed.

'Uh...' Chad bit his lip, then glanced at Cindy, and returned his gaze to Gavin. 'Actually, G, that's what I couldn't wait to tell you – your Mama is going to have a baby.'

'A baby?' Gavin smiled. 'Like Vessa?'

'Not exactly. This baby is a boy.' Chad grinned. 'Your little brother.'

'My own baby brother?' Gavin gasped, having wanted his own brother more than anything since his father told him stories about how great brothers were.

He loved his sister, but before she was born he'd originally wanted a brother. And now, finally, Gavin was getting his biggest wish!

'You're a big brother again, Gavin!'

'I'm gonna have a brother of my own!' Gavin gasped, then bit his lip and whimpered.

Chad was alarmed at first, but braced himself in time to catch the sobbing eight-year-old who launched into his arms. It was the first time Chad had held Gavin since his son was four, and it was a wonderful moment. Gavin cried himself to exhaustion, in excitement for having his own brother after wanting one all his life, and for being reminded that he had a father who loved him.

Maybe almost-small rooms with lots of colour and toys weren't so bad after all.


End file.
